New Delhi: Indian astronaut Subhanshu Shukla has described his journey from being a young test pilot in the Indian Air Force to becoming one of the country's first spacefarers to the International Space Station (ISS).

Speaking at a private news channel's conference in Mumbai, Shukla said his mission earlier this year aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft marked the first time the Indian flag reached the ISS. “While in space, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to me in Hindi. That memory will always stay with me,” he said.

The former IAF pilot, who flew MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar and Su-30 jets, said he felt privileged to represent India in space.

“Don't be afraid of failure. I too have faced setbacks, but failure is part of the journey. We should celebrate it as an opportunity to achieve our ambition and progress,” Shukla told the gathering.

India is steadily advancing in global space exploration, and its astronauts will continue to take the momentum forward, he added.